Operating room nursing

The purpose of this study was to describe the caring behaviors incorporated into the practice of perioperative nursing. Utilizing a descriptive survey design, this study provided 104 perioperative nurse participants who were members of the AORN with the Caring Behaviors Inventory (CBI). Data collected in this study supported the use of the CBI as a reliable instrument for measuring caring behaviors as measured by a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of.9486. The top five caring behaviors that emerged were (1) showing respect; (2) treating patient information confidentially; (3) appreciating the patient as a human being; (4) showing concern; (5) and supporting the patient. The study revealed that perioperative nurses do incorporate caring behaviors into their practice that are both patient-centered and action oriented. These behaviors are similar to those previously described by nurses in other specialties. Implications for nurse education and practice are presented, as are recommendations for further research.

With the current trends in health care, new avenues must be explored in order to contain cost, yet provide for quality care. The Registered Nurse, First Assistant (RNFA) provides a cost effective alternative to another surgeon as surgical assistant. Using Max van Manen's phenomenological method, four RNFAs participated in semistructured audio-taped interviews, in order to explore their lived world experience. Six essences of being an RNFA emerged from the data: being a nurse/nursing; a way of being with others/presence; a way of doing for others; constancy/continualness; experience/knowing; and, a sense of self-completeness. These were interwoven against the lifeworld existentials of relationality, spatiality, temporality, and corporeality. The findings revealed that the RNFA offers uniqueness as nursing and uniqueness as experience.